Acid mine drainage refers to the outflow of acidic water from a mining site.

Acid mine drainage is a major problem with many hard rock mines, including almost all mines where the metal ore is bound up with sulfur. The metals dissolved by the acid drainage poison downstream waters, in many cases to the point where nothing other than microbes can survive. Although mining is by far the largest cause of this type of acid leaching, the process can also occur during non-mining land disturbances such as construction, or even naturally in some environments. Acid mine drainage is a worldwide problem, leading to ecological destruction in watersheds and the contamination of human water sources by sulfuric acid and heavy metals, including arsenic, copper, and lead. Once acid-generating rock is crushed and exposed to oxygen and the surface environment, acid generation is very difficult to contain or stop, and can continue for tens or thousands of years until the available sulfide minerals are exhausted. In general, it is a dangerous occupation for the miners. Piles of waste material (tailings) are created, and can pose a landslide problem, as well as vibration from blasting, noise from mining machinery, increased vehicle traffic and air contaminated by dust and/or hazardous materials. Strip mining can remove topsoil, resulting in erosion, and destruction of local plant life. Fires have occurred in coal mines, and ground above mines can subside. All of which can be controlled. There are a number of ways to reduce the environmental impacts of mining, including: 1. Reducing the consumption of minerals People can reduce the consumer goods they use or the content of minerals in manufactured processes can be reduced. For example, instead of building more cars, we could rely more on public transit. 2. The efficiency of manufacturing processes can be increased to reduce the amount of new minerals required

For example, structural beams might be designed to be equally strong while using less steel. 3. Substitution of other materials and processes with more environmentally friendly materials and processes For example, plastics might be used instead of metal to build appliances. Or biomass can be used instead of uranium to produce energy. 4. Using recycled materials instead of mined materials For example, if tin cans are efficiently recycled, less material needs to be mined to make cans. 5. Improving environmental performance at mines Mines can be designed so that they produce less waste or use less toxic chemicals. 6. Legislation and regulations to reduce environmental impacts can be enacted and enforced Governments can require mines to adopt increasingly effective environmental procedures and invoke penalties for failure to comply. 7. Cleaning up abandoned mine sites Companies and governments can be held accountable for abandoned sites and be required to carry out an environmental cleanup. 8. Economic measures Tax shifting, can be introduced to provide incentives for practices like product substitution and disincentives for poor environmental performance.